Fwd: [Harp-L] Learn to play in 2 days - one possible way

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

OK, Charlie, you deserve all the ribbing you're getting. But I'll 
help you out anyway if you haven't given up and gone away.

The problem with the G and E coming in flat are common beginner 
problems in Draw 1, 2, and 3. We call it pre-bending - you're bending 
the note before you learn how or mean to do it. Many beginning 
players experience this and it gets better over time. (The fix 
involves removing any obstruction in the mouth and throat to the free 
movement of air - lips, tongue, soft palate, throat muscles, etc.)

But you don't have that kind of time. So I'm going to suggest a 
radically different solution.

Get a harp in Low D. Special 20s and Pro Harps are available in low D 
as are (Marine Band as well). Low D will be marked as such or as D 
TIEF (German for low D). If the dealer has a tester bellows for 
harmonicas you can sound it out to tell for sure.

If your dealer doesn't stock low Ds, a regular D will work but the 
line will come out an octave higher. The dealer might have a Hohner 
AutoValve in D, which will give you both high and low octaves at the 
same time, like a Cajun Accordion.

The good thing about a D-harp is that you can play the line you 
described without needing to bend or to descend below Hole 4 and 
therefore - probably - no pre-bending.

On a D harp (high or low) the line would go 

D  Blow 7
C# Draw 7
B  Draw 6
G  Draw 5
E  Draw 4

Winslow

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "charlie zevon" 
<chaszev@xxxx> wrote:

Help, I volunteered to play with my church band this Sunday and I 
need to 
learn the harp fast.  I'm not a harmonica player (trumpet and sax are 
my 
main instruments), but I've always liked the sound. So I'm looking 
for quick 
pointers.

The song they want harp for is the U2 song Desire.  We're doing it in 
E so I 
got a couple of A harps (Hohner Special 20 and Pro) to see which 
works best. 
  Anyway, the main line of this song is a descending blues line: D - 
C# -B - 
G  - E  done to a Bo Diddley rythm. I must be doing something wrong 
because 
the G and E are pretty flat on both of the instruments.  I think it's 
a 
tongue placement thing because when I take the tongue out of the way 
it's 
not flat.  But then I lose control of the notes being played.  Any 
suggestions?

Next question, the microphone choices are Shure SM57 and SM58, and 
Audix OM6 
and OM7.  Think the Shures have more output than the Audix, and both 
the 57 
and 58 are recommended for harmonica on the Shure site.  What do you 
like 
for a rock band?

Anyway, a customer at Guitar Center recommended this site.  I usually 
would 
spend some time searching archives but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Any 
tips are 
appreciated.

Thanks,
Charlie


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